LEH Partners with Six Louisiana Communities for Smithsonian Tour
The Smithsonian Institute is on its way to Louisiana in 2016. At a June 25 press conference in Natchitoches for the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame’s 2015 inductees, LEH VP of Content Brian Boyles announced the tour stops for “Hometown Teams,” an exhibit that celebrates local sports.
2016 Museum on Main Street Host Sites
- Abita Springs Trailhead Museum, Abita Springs
- Claiborne Parish Library, Homer
- Lincoln Parish Library, Ruston
- Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum, Natchitoches
- Old Post Office Museum, Winnsboro
- Southern Forest Heritage Museum & Research Center, Long Leaf
“The LEH looks forward to working with community members in each of these towns to explore and preserve this important part of Louisiana history,” said Boyles. “Sports offer a unique window onto the lives and traditions that enrich our culture.”
“Hometown Teams: How Sports Shape America” marks the seventh time that the LEH has partnered with the Smithsonian Institute and Louisiana communities to host a Museum on Main Street tour. The exhibit will capture the stories that unfold on the neighborhood fields and courts, and the underdog heroics, larger-than-life legends, fierce rivalries and gut-wrenching defeats. Each site will receive $5,000 LEH grants to develop programs and exhibitions to showcase the unique sports stories of these towns. Along with the exhibition planning, the LEH works with these organizations to strengthen their capacity to serve local residents.
The selection process was conducted in partnership with the Louisiana State Museum and Louisiana Main Street, a division of the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. More information on the Museum on Main Street program can be found at www.leh.org or at www.museumonmainstreet.org. To learn more about the “Hometown Teams” tour, contact Brian Boyles at [email protected] or 504.620.2632.
